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Friday, July 5, 2019

AK Adventure Day 44: to Anchorage

Lovely early morning drive to the Homer Spit for breakfast at another new-to-me cafe.






Read about the Homer Spit.  VERY interesting world tidbit...

Since it was a Sunday morning...and little traffic coming up from Homer to Soldotna...I stopped along the way to take photos of my favorite signs.



...a MUST during tourist Winnebago season!!


...that was from July 1 of last year!!...sad....

Stopped in Soldotna for a beverage...hadn’t hit this favorite place yet this summer!! Australian artist art work in the bathroom!!...FUNNY one....



Still quite a lot of forest fire SMOKE in the area....I can’t remember IF I’ve previously shared the info on the Kenai Peninsula fire or not (68,000 acres to date)... here goes anyway!!  Kenai Peninsula Fire and Map


Always looking for fun places to stop along the way....Stopped in Girdwood at this Bakery/Cafe...but it seemed like just a cafe...still...interesting architecture in the area—Girdwood IS a ski resort town!!




The Girdwood Forest Fair is this coming weekend...not sure IF we’ll want to BRAVE the thousands of fair goers!! It is SUPPOSE to be INSANE!!


SNOW??...no...cottonwood tree pollen “down”!!...some people are allergic to it...SO GLAD I’m NOT!!

BTW tidbit # 1: I’ve seen the progression of the wildflowers here in the last month.  When I arrived in AK...there were dandelions EVERYWHERE and pushki leaves!!...then...the lupines started showing up and are now BIG!!...now, the white Shasta daisy are out in force and the fireweed is coming on!! The pushki plants are blooming and have grown almost as tall as me!!


BTW tidbit # 2: Since most of the rural homes are set way back into the woods...to where no one could see the house number...there are green address sign numbers posted along the roads.  Also, the mailboxes are usually located at a centralized place along the paved road to make it easier for mail delivery. 




BTW tidbit # 3: Everyone here boasts that Alaskans drink more coffee and eat more ice cream per capita than any other state!!....well...I’m having trouble finding definitive proof of that...but who cares??...as long as there is a quaint little coffee shop and ice cream parlor wherever I am...that’s all that matters!!...RIGHT!!??


BTW tidbit # 4: On the peninsula...there is not a day where I do not hear AT LEAST one small aircraft flying over!!...there is 1light aircraft for every 60 Alaskans and 1.3 pilots per 100!! AMAZING!!

Stopped at a great artisan bakery in Anchorage....DELICIOUS!!...could never pass up a French croissant/chopped hazelnut/creamy delight!!


BTW tidbit # 5: update on AK Adventure Day 6.
Info from Al Hansen BC Parks Supervisor—
Questions I wrote to the BC Park Service: 
...were the bison brought in from somewhere
(A herd of 49 wood bison were brought here in 1995 from Elk Island National Park in Alberta)
...or are they native to that location?? 
(The Liard area historically had a wood bison population but they had died off about 100 years ago due in large part to grasslands disappearing due to tree encroachment)
...if brought in, is there a purpose other than what a wonderful opportunity for the tourists!!?? 
(The main purpose was to re-establish disease free and genetically pure wood bison to their historical range in order to ensure the species survives.)
...Is the grass along the highway mowed for the bison to eat?
(The grass and brush is mowed on the highway right-of-way for safety reasons so animals can be seen by motorists from a distance and then they aren’t surprised by them crossing the road in front of them especially at night)
...and also to provide an environment for them?? 
(Not so much. The bison were actually supposed to stay in an area 30 miles east of the highway but they wandered out to the highway and realized the groceries were better there and never left.)
...Do you have to put out hay for the bison during the winter?
(No)
...since they can’t migrate to other areas??
(These are wild animals and are completely adapted to living in this environment year round.)

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